1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to amusement devices and more particularly to games having an aerial projectile combined with a projector and catcher.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been many articles known to the prior art for catching and throwing a ball or projectile. Many games have been devised incorporating an article for both catching the ball and for throwing the ball. One of the most significant games incorporating such an article is the game of Jai-Alai which is currently played in only a few states of the United States. The game of Jai-Alai uses a ball handling device called a cesta which is a basketlike article made of plant fibers woven into a substantially rigid member. The Jai-Alai player inserts his hand into a glove type member sewed to the cesta. The cesta is further attached by a cloth strap secured about the player's wrist. U.S. Pat. No. 642,638 shows a cesta which is substantially similar to the cestas presently used in the game of Jai-Alai.
Probably the most significant reason why the game of Jai-Alai has not attained the popularity of other games is the limited number of places in which the game may be played. The game of Jai-Alai is played inside buildings called Frontons. Currently, Frontons exist in only four states in the United States. In addition, the game is very difficult to learn how to play, and in particular, very difficult to learn how to catch a ball in the cesta. The ball is extremely hard and moves very rapidly resulting in a tendency to bounce out of the ball receiving region of the cesta for the novice player.
Therefore it is an object of this invention to provide an article which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the pertinent art.
Another object of this invention is to provide an article for catching and throwing a ball which is a substantial improvement upon the prior art cesta and made of an integral body member for adapting a Jai-Alai-type game to be played on conventional handball and racketball courts.
Another object of this invention is to provide an article for catching and throwing a ball having a hand securing means for securing the hand of the player to the integral body member which is adaptable to fit many sizes of players hands.
Another object of this invention is to provide an article for catching and throwing a ball including a resilient material secured to the ball receiving region of the article for absorbing a portion of the impact of a moving ball to facilitate catching the ball.
Another object of this invention is to provide an article for catching and throwing a ball comprising an integral plastic body member having a tip portion, a hand receiving portion, and a ball receiving region, with resilient metal means inserted in the integral plastic member for reinforcing the ball receiving region.
Another object of this invention is to provide an article for catching and throwing a ball comprising an integral plastic body member having a tip portion, a hand receiving portion and a ball receiving region with slot means in the integral plastic member for removably receiving resilient means in the ball receiving region to absorb a portion of the impact of catching the ball for facilitating learning the process of catching a ball with the article by a novice player.
Another object of this invention is to provide an article for catching and throwing a ball comprising an integral plastic body member which may be constructed economically and which is of a size and shape for adapting the game of Jai-Alai to be played on conventional handball and racketball courts.
Other objects and a fuller understanding of this invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the description and the claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.